26/08/10Common Culture explores the phenomenon of the British tourism in the Region of Murcia
The artist's collective Common Culture is shooting till the 28th August in Murcia The New ElDorado, an audiovisual work with has counted with the collaboration of local actors andstudents of the Dramatic Art School of Murcia, and which will be the centerpiece of theinstallation they have created for Manifesta 8.
Common culture is an artist's group which, through photography, sculpture, and video isfocused on the research of how the social identity of a collective based on the consumptionrituals is built, and how is related the more elitist and institutional art with the supposedlymore common aspects of the folk or mass culture.
The New El Dorado, which is being shooted by the British artists these days at the Espacio 0 ofthe Centro Párraga (Pavilion 5 of the Antiguo Cuartel de Artilleria) consist of a series ofepisodes written by themselves and interpreted by comical actors disguised as 70's characters,at the purest Saturday Night Fever style.
With this piece, the authors will explore the phenomenon of the cultural consumption andtourism, establishing a link between the romantic "grand tours" done by some privilegedpeople from the British XIX Century upper class and the "holiday's package" enjoyed nowadaysby many British citizens in our country, particularly in the Murcia Region, where the Britishtourists flow has increased considerably during the last years.We normally associate the expression "holiday's package" with a cultural exchange consideredmore superficial and stereotyped. This cultural interaction between the tourists who choosethis kind of entertainment and the local population is the raw material that Common Cultureuses in its video. Its aim is to analyze aspects of the cultural identity, the tourist exploitationand ways of entertainment in different geographical points.The scenes which are being shooted these days in Murcia show some characters totally out ofcontext, out of their "natural environment" and makes reference to the British tourists whoout of their culture do not get to interact with the local population and culture of the placesthey visit, as happens in some of the tourist resorts of the Murcia Region.With this piece of video art Common Culture tries to explore its own condition of artists and ofBritish citizens with respect to the idiosyncrasy of the cultures and places they go on holiday.Common Culture has exhibited in the Shangai Biennale and in the United Kingdom, Ireland,France, Greece, United States, Portugal, and Germany Galleries. Furthermore, it has publishedsome books and has been awarded prizes such as The West Midland Arts Board.
The New El Dorado is a is a work curated by the Egyptian curatorial collective AlexandriaContemporary Arts Forum (ACAF) and can be seen at the Murcia's former Oficina de Correos yTelégrafos from October 9th 2010 till January 9th 2011.
